Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif arrives in Washington DC to attend the inaugural session of the Peace Board. Washington, February 19, 2026. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has arrived in Washington to participate in the “Peace Board” as Pakistan has denied that it will join the International Stabilization Force to demilitarize Hamas.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi accompany the Prime Minister in the Pakistani delegation, along with delegations from 20 other countries.
According to the statement, the Prime Minister will attend the Peace Board meeting in Washington today, and high-level meetings between the Prime Minister and US officials are also expected in Washington.
Before Pakistan commits to sending troops to Gaza as part of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), it wants assurances from the United States that it will be a peacekeeping mission rather than tasked with disarming Hamas, three sources said. Reuters.
The ISF will operate under the junta’s “Comprehensive Plan,” with the United States in command, tasked with stabilizing Gaza, monitoring humanitarian zones, and protecting civilians as the Comprehensive Plan is implemented.
Trump, who will chair the meeting, is expected to announce a multibillion-dollar reconstruction plan for Gaza and detail plans for a U.N.-sanctioned stabilization force for the Palestinian enclave.
Three government sources said during the visit to Washington that Sharif wanted to better understand the purpose of the ISF, under what authority they operated and what the chain of command was before deciding to deploy troops.
“We are willing to send troops. Let me make it clear that our troops could only be part of a peace mission in Gaza,” said one of the sources, a close aide of Sharif.
“We will not participate in any other role, such as disarming Hamas. It is out of the question,” he said.
‘Peace Board’
The “Peace Board”, a transitional government body created to oversee Gaza and implement the so-called Comprehensive Plan aimed at ending the conflict there, has centralized authority to manage the transition, demobilization and demilitarization of Gaza, and can issue resolutions, form subcommittees and change civil and criminal laws under the direction and control of its president.
It is chaired for life by Donald Trump, giving him broad authority over decisions, appointments and direction of operations.
The Board oversees a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a technocratic body of Palestinians, whose decision-making power is consolidated in the Board and its High Representative.
The document also describes an International Stabilization Force (ISF), initially led by the United States with operational command under an American major general. The FSI will provide assistance in security, humanitarian protection and controlled civil protection corridors.
Pakistan has no representation on the Gaza Executive Board, meaning it will not directly influence decisions there.
Read more: Pakistan’s decision to join Trump’s ‘Peace Board’ draws mixed reactions
Officials have defended Pakistan’s decision to join the junta, while critics warn that the junta’s structure centralizes power and sidelines Palestinian agency, expressing concern that pressure could arise in the future to engage in actions that Pakistan opposes, such as efforts related to Hamas.
